Lesson Plan

What is a lesson plan?

A lesson plan is a teacher's detailed description of a lesson prepared before they start
teaching. It covers the learning trajectory and course of action for each lesson taught
and acts as a comprehensive daily guide for what students need to learn.

It also gives insight into how it will be taught. It's so useful to think about how student's
learning can be measured, as this really shows how useful the lesson was and what
needs to be improved and worked upon in future lessons. The lesson plan itself will vary
based on each teacher's individual preference, what subject is being covered in the
lesson as well as the needs of each student in the class.

Why are lesson plans useful?

Lesson plans are really effective tools to use in the classroom, it makes the best use of
class time and ensures as much lesson time as possible is used to teach new concepts,
build on students' prior knowledge and to promote meaningful discussions. It gives
teachers a detailed outline to follow, so it helps them be even better teachers. It plays a
role in the learning experience of students and how engaged they will be in their
subjects.

Even if it can feel a little overwhelming to pin down specific objectives and outcomes for
every lesson you teach, approaching students with a clear path in mind is so important
to get your entire class on the right track. That isn't to say it's always a bad thing if
lessons follow their own path, sometimes lessons need to be adapted in the moment to
address individual student concerns or ideas. Yet most of the time, you at least need
some context of what your lesson is trying to achieve to ensure it is successful. The
idea of what the lesson will about should be shared with students so they are aware of
what they should be learning.

What are the 3 types of lesson plan? (We will consider this as “Kinds”
of Lesson Plan)
There are 3 types of lesson plan you can use, and the one you choose depends on how
prepared you like to be and what specific criteria you are looking for your lesson to
follow.
Detailed lesson plan

A detailed lesson plan covers everything and gets teachers fully prepared for the lesson
ahead. It covers what to teach and all the activities students will complete that lesson.

Semi detailed lesson plan

Semi-detailed lesson plans are less intricate than detailed but they still focus on what
you want to cover for that subject on that day. They act as a general game plan for what
will go on in the lesson.

Understanding by design (UbD)

Understanding by design is more of a framework. This "backward design" looks at

outcomes first to design curriculum units and is focused on improving student
achievement using it.

Similarities and differences between the 3 types of lesson plans

The main difference between the 3 types of lesson plans is that UbD includes
understandings and essential questions for students whereas the other two don't
include this. UbD includes procedures and evaluation as well as particular activities but
only in the learning plan. Detailed lesson plans focus on conversations and questions
and answers between students and the teacher, but semi-detailed plans leave out the
student activity. Detailed and semi-detailed lesson plans have separate sections for
subject matter and assignment, whereas UbD includes materials and other references
in the resources section. For UbD, assignment is usually found in the assessment
evidence.

What are the 5 parts of a lesson plan?

Out of the 3 types of lesson plan, detailed and semi-detailed plans are the ones that can
be broken down into five parts. The five parts of a lesson plan differ across websites
and even across primary schools as there are many different variants, but the most
common ways of dividing lesson plans are listed below:

1. Objectives

This is possibly the most important out of the 5 parts of a lesson plan, they are the
reason the lesson exists and should drive the activities. It is realistically the first thing a
teacher should do, giving the whole lesson a statement of purpose. Objectives should
answer what students will be capable of doing by the end of the lesson, this is what
teachers should start with. They may include things such as explain, create, define or
use as just a few examples.

Often objectives use SMART criteria, they should be specific, measurable, attainable,
relevant and time-based.

The aims you look at should be specific enough to be achieved in that particular lesson,
even if the lesson works towards a greater overarching aim.

"To develop an appreciation of creative writing"

"To develop an appreciation of creative writing in the short story 'The Looking Glass' by
Anton Chekhov."

In the examples above, the second aim is much more appropriate in one single lesson
as it is something that can be achieved in one lesson.

2. Subject matter

The subject matter includes the specific topic and how that relates back to the National
Curriculum. It should include the sources of information or references - whether that is
websites, textbooks or some other material.

It likely also lists any objects or tools teachers may use to enhance their lessons.

3. Procedure

The procedure makes up the body of the lesson plan, it is an explanation of how the
lesson will progress step-by-step.

For detailed lesson plans, this includes the expected routines, the activities that will go
on and the questions and answers. For semi-detailed this is more about the procedures
or steps and the methods that teachers will use to get there.

4. Evaluation

Evaluation is where teachers weigh up how well children understand what they've been
in that lesson, this may be as simple as some multiple-choice questions or a formative
test. Teachers will then want to look at the proportion of class who got the answers
right.

5. Assignment
The assignment component of a lesson plan is made up of questions, exercises and set
of practice specified by the teacher including focused specific questions.

What are the parts of Understanding by Design?

Stage 1: Desired Results

1. Establish goals

2. Understandings

3. Essential questions

4. "Students will know"

5. "Students will be able to"

Stage 2: Assessment Evidence

1. Performance tasks

2. Other evidence

Stage 3: Learning Plan

The learning plan composes both the learning activities and WHERETO elements which
include:

• Where are we going? What's expected of this lesson?

• How will we hook students in?

• Equip students for expected performances

• Rethink/revise - what are likely or predictable misunderstandings going to be in

this unit?

• Evaluation - how will children self-evaluate and reflect on their learning?

• Tailor learning to varied needs, interests and learning styles

• Organise sequence learning How to write a lesson plan

Lesson planning can be tricky, even for the most experienced teachers. After all, even if
you've got it nailed down to an exact science, finding the time to plan lessons can be
tricky. So, if you're wondering how to write a lesson plan for your class or child, then
here are a few pointers to help you out:

• The first step to planning a lesson is to identify what you'd like to cover in your
lesson. For teachers in state-mandated schools, this might mean browsing the
National Curriculum aims. After this, you'll have to determine the individual needs
of your students. For teachers of mixed-ability classes, this might mean using
differentiated activities or worksheets.

• Consider how you're going to engage your students. Using rich media, like
videos, is a great way to do this.

• When you've presented all the information to your class, you should give them
plenty of time to practise.

• Always spend a few minutes at the end of each lesson to recap what you've
learned.

As well as the above, it's also important to spend some time evaluating the
effectiveness of your teaching. That way, you can spot if you're doing anything wrong
and take corrective action.